Buoy



H. P. ELLIOTT Wiay 35 1934,

BUOY

Filed May 28, 1952 Patented May 15, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 9Claims.

This invention relates to mooring buoys for boats and particularly topick-up buoys that are attached to the anchor cable and are adapted tobe raised out of the water onto the deck of the boat along with the endof the anchor cable so that the mooring cable of the boat can beconnected directly to the end of the anchor cable.

One of the objects of the present invention is the provision of animproved form of mooring or pick-up buoy that can be engaged readily bya rope from the deck of a boat using the buoy regardless of thedirection from which the boat approaches the buoy.

Another object is the provision of a buoy having a rod or spindleextended through the vertical axis thereof, the lower end of the rodbeing connected with the anchor cable and the upper end of the spindlehaving a plurality of inverted hooks which project outwardly from thespindle in different directions so that at least one of the hooks isalways in position to be engaged by the bight of a rope when it ispulled upwardly on the spindle, so that the rope becomes automaticallyconnected with the buoy, the buoyant member also being so shaped thatthe bight of the rope is guided thereby into the hooks.

The buoy embodying the present invention has its books located closeabove the top of the buoy while the deck of the boat using the buoy maybe high above the hooks so that it may involve some little skill to castthe bight of the pick-up rope over the spindle. Thus, a further objectof the invention is the provision of a buoy of the type above set forthhaving a guide pole which extends above the hooks sufiiciently high sothat the bight of the pick-up rope can easily be placed over the polefrom the deck of the boat using the buoy, the pole guiding the bight tofall around the spindle under thehooks and in position to enter one ormore of the hooks when the rope is pulled, the pole being light inweight so that it will not unbalance the buoyant member and beingreadily detachable from the spindle so that it can be removed after thebuoy has been engaged with the rope or brought aboard.

A further object is the provision of a pick-up buoy of the type aboveset forth that is light in weight and relatively inexpensive.

Another object is generally to improve the construction of buoys.

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of the buoy embodying the presentinvention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the buoy of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail of the upper end of the spindle with amodified form of hook thereat.

The buoy herein illustrated in Fig. l as embodying the present inventionis what is specifically known as a pick-up buoy and is adapted to beraised out of the water with the anchor cable attached thereto so thatthe mooring cable of the boat can be attached directly to the anchorcable.

The buoy comprises a hollow buoyant body consisting of the cylindricalsheet metal shell 10 and the opposed conical sheet metal heads 12 and 14which are attached to the opposite ends of the cylindrical shell in awater tight manner by welding or otherwise. A straight rod. or spindle16 is passed through the vertical axis of the buoyant body and throughand beyond the apexes of the conical heads, the spindle being secured byweld ing or otherwise to the apexes of the heads. An anchoring eye 18 issecured to the lower end of the spindle and is adapted to be connectedwith the upper end of an anchor cable or chain 20, the weight of thecable, and the weight of that 7 portion of the spindle below the buoyantmember, holding the floating buoy upright in the water with the upperconical head 12 and the upper portion or" the cylindrical section 10above the Water level. A hook-member 22 is secured to the upper end ofthe spindle l6 and is provided with a plurality of inverted hooks 24which project outwardly in different directions from the top of thespindle. The entrances 26 to the hooks confront the body of the buoy sothat the bight of a pick-up rope sliding upwardly on the spindle iscaused to enter the hooks. The hooks are so disposed around the spindlethat the bight of the rope cannot fail to enter at least one of thehooks regardless of the direction of the pull on the rope. While it ispreferred to employ three or more hooks equally spaced about the spindleit is found that two diametrically-opposed hooks are sufficient toensure certain engagement with the rope.

Preferably the length of the spindle under the buoyant body is greaterthan that above the body so that the buoy is caused to float verticallyin the water without the necessity for weighting the lower portion ofthe buoyant body. The distance from the apex of the upper head 12 to thehooks is adapted to be relatively short so as to keep down the leverageof the weight that is above the water line. When the bight or" a rope iscast over the spindle it settles onto the water around the 105, buoyantbody of the buoy and is guided by the conical head 12 onto the spindleand thence into a hook when the rope is pulled upwardly.

Inasmuch as the hooks are not high above water and the deck of a boat Bthat uses the buoy may be high above the hooks, it requires some skill,and involves a certain amount of hazard, to cast the bight or" the ropeover the spindle. Hence, to facilitate placing the rope over thespindle, the spindle is made tubular or at least is provided with anaxial socket 28 in its upper end in which the butt of a light slenderguide pole 30' is detachably inserted, the pole being high enough sothat its top is readily accessible to one on the deck of the boat usingthe buoy and, preferably, is at least a foot above the deck of the boat.The bight of the rope easily can be dropped over the end of the polewithout danger, and the pole guides the bight onto the spindle under thehooks. The pole can be pulled out of its socket in the top of thespindle readily when the buoy is brought inboard and reinserted in thespindle at the time the buoy is again dropped.

The hooks 24 of the buoy of Fig. 1 can be provided. with spring latches32 as illustrated in Fig. 3 so that the bight of a mooring rope canspring the latches and enter the hooks and be retained therein by thelatches. The buoy can then be used as a mooring buoy to which the boatcan be moored and connected to the anchor cable 20 through the spindle16.

I claim:

1. A buoy comprising a buoyant member, and a spindle extended throughsaid member and ;.having at the bottom means for attachment with ananchor cable and at its upper end above said member a plurality ofinverted hooks which outstand from the spindle in different directionsand wherein the entrances to said inverted hooks are closed by latcheswhich releasably retain a rope in the hooks.

2. A buoy comprising a buoyant member having a spindle rising thereaboveand provided with a hook, said spindle having a guide pole that is ex-;tended upwardly above said hook to such a height that the bight of arope can be conveniently placed over the top of the pole from the deckof a boat using the buoy and be guided by the pole to fall downwardlyonto the spindle under said hook.

3. Abuoy comprising a buoyant member having a spindle rising thereaboveand provided with a hook and a socket at its upper end, and a guide poleremovably retained in said socket and upstanding above said spindle anddisposed to guide ;.the bight of a rope downwardly onto the spindleunder said hook.

4. A buoy comprising a buoyant member having a spindle upstandingthereabove and provided with a socket at its upper end. which is in line..with the axis of said spindle, said spindle also having a hook whichoutstands therefrom, and a guide pole located in said socket andupstanding above said hook and disposed to guide the bight of a ropedownwardly onto said spindle and under said hook, said pole beingdetachably received in said socket.

5. A buoy comprising a buoyant member, a-

spindle rising above said buoyant member and having a hook at its upperend, and a guide pole constituting an extension of said spindle abovesaid hook being free from lateral obstruction and providing means forguiding the bight of a rope downwardly onto said spindle under saidhook.

6. A buoy comprising a buoyant member, and a straight spindle extendedthrough the vertical axis of said member having an anchorage connectionat its lower end and a plurality of out standing inverted hooks at itsupper end, said spindle having an axially-directed passage open at thetop thereof providing a guide-pole receiving socket.

'7. A buoy comprising a buoyant member, a straight spindle extendedthrough the vertical axis of said member having an anchorage connectionat its lower end and a plurality of outstanding inverted hooks at itsupper end, said spindle having an axially-directed passage open at thetop thereof providing a guide-pole receiving socket, and a guide poleremovably located in said socket and extended upwardly above said hooks.

8. A buoy comprising a buoyant member, a spindle extended through saidmember having an anchorage connection at itslower end and a plurality ofinverted hooks at its upper end that extend outwardly from said spindlein different directions, said spindle having receiving means for a guidepole located between said hooks, and a guide pole having a readilydetachable connection with said means and extended above said.

hooks in line with said spindle and constituting means for guiding thebight of a rope to pass downwardly thereover and onto said spindle belowsaid hooks.

9. A buoy comprising a buoyant member, and a tubular spindle extendedthrough and projected at both ends beyond said member and secured to thetop and bottom walls thereof in a water tight manner and having at itsbottom ends means for attachment with an anchor cable and at its upperend a plurality of inverted hooks which outstand from the spindle indifferent directions, whereby the spindle can be caught by the bight ofa rope encircling and pulled laterally in any direction away from thespindle, and whereby the pull of the rope is transmitted directlythrough the tubular spindle to the mooring cable and excludes thebuoyant member.

HARMON P. ELLIOTT.

